ISSN 2520-6265 (print)
ISSN 2520-6273 (online)
OF THE FUTURE OF UKRAINIAN YOUTH IN WARTIME
Authors:
I. V. Ostapenko, PhD (Candidate of Psychological Sciences),
Head of Department for Psychology of Youth Political Behavior,
Institute for Social and Political Psychology of NAES of Ukraine
ORCID: 0000-0001-6710-5964
Researcher ID: V-3216-2017
E-mail: ostapenko.iryna.vit@gmail.com
О. P. Sosniuk, PhD (Candidate of Psychological Sciences),
Associate Professor (docent), Social Psychology Department,
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
ORCID: 0000-0002-7558-8879
Researcher ID: W-2633-2017
E-mail: oleh.sosniuk@knu.ua
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/upj.2025.2(24).7
Article Information
Issue: 2(24) 2025, pages: 150-165
Language: Ukrainian
Received: 12.09.2025
1st Revision: 18.09.2025
Accepted: 25.09.2025
The article is devoted to the analysis of trends in changes of national identity and Ukrainian youth’s ideas about the future during wartime. Based on the results of the empirical study, the authors identified 5 factors that make up the updated structure of youth national identity and their ideas about the future: Factor 1. «Responsibility and optimism about their own prospects and the future of Ukraine»; Factor 2. «Conscious national identity»; Factor 3. «Intentions to go abroad»; Factor 4. «Dependence on parents and readiness for territorial concessions»; Factor 5. «Reliance on the West’s help».
The results of the study confirm the high level of cognitive complexity among youth regarding national identity and ideas about the future.
The authors found that compared to previous studies, the following trends remained stable: an optimistic vision of one’s own future and the future of the country (to which a sense of responsibility and condemnation of those who leave the country were added), intentions to go abroad for studies or for permanent residence, and paternalism regarding foreign aid.
The affective coloring of national identity, associated with a sense of pride in the nation, common values, and the desire to receive education in Ukraine, became more crystallized. The readiness for territorial concessions was combined with dependence on parents. These changes may be related to the general dynamics of the emotional moods of the population of Ukraine and the influence of family members on young people. The authors plan to test these assumptions in subsequent studies.
Key words: national identity, representations of the future, trends in changes, semantic differential, youth, wartime.
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